Greg Biffle is coming back to NASCAR… sort of.
On Wednesday, he tweeted he would participate in Thursday’s Gander Outdoors Truck Series practice session at Texas Motor Speedway, driving the #51 Toyota Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports. The team has not issued a formal statement.
The 2000 Truck Series champion, Biffle last raced in NASCAR in 2016 – a sixteenth-place finish in what is now the Monster Energy Cup Series‘ season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Biffle spent much of his career racing for Roush Fenway Racing, winning a combined 55 races across NASCAR’s three national series and the 2002 Xfinity Series title. One of eight drivers to have won championships in two of NASCAR’s top series, the Washington native has 19 Cup wins, including nearly coming close to winning a Cup title in 2005 as he finished second to Tony Stewart.
Biffle won at Texas in the Truck Series during his title-winning season in 2000. He won again at the track in the Cup Series in 2005 and 2012.
In the years since, he has mostly participated in dirt racing. He currently races part-time in the SPEED Energy Stadium Super Trucks, making his debut at Road America in 2018, where he finished eleventh and second in the two rounds. For the 2019 season, he is splitting the #51 Continental Tire truck with Ryan Beat and Sheldon Creed.
Kyle Busch is currently entered in the #51 for the Truck Series’ Vankor 350 on Friday. Although the announcement is rather random, speculation among fans has varied, including Biffle potentially running a limited Truck Series schedule as the #51, which currently has four drivers including Busch scheduled to race it, has no announced driver for four other races.
Although its entry list has not been revealed, the tweet may also imply Biffle will compete in SST’s upcoming weekend as the series is running as a support event to NASCAR. While Creed is a two-time SST champion and is also sharing the #51, it is rare for a NASCAR driver to also run an SST race in the same weekend and at the same track; it is technically possible for Creed to do so, but Biffle does not have a ride for any of NASCAR’s three series, meaning he has plenty of time to participate in SST.
